Sunday Supper is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.
Our Mini Pavlova Recipe is a delicious dessert made with pavlova meringue and a mascarpone filling, finished with fresh berries. It is one of the most beautiful finger food desserts for parties, especially over the holidays.
Jump to:
❓ What are pavlovas?
Pavlova cake is a meringue dessert with a creamy topping and fresh fruits for garnish. It has a crisp meringue crust but is soft, creamy, and light on the inside. Traditionally, it is served as one large cake, but it’s perfect for serving as mini pavlovas!
It takes its namesake from the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, but the origin of the dessert is disputed between New Zealand and Australia. Either way, it is a popular dessert across the world, especially as a Christmas cake!
These individual pavlovas are one of the best desserts you will ever try. The mascarpone and homemade whipped cream filling are so flavorful paired with light, crisp meringue cups and fresh fruit topping.
This is the best pavlova recipe ever. It’s light, airy, and fresh, with an irresistible taste and texture. Everyone will be asking you to share the recipe!
🥚 Ingredients for Pavlovas
Our pavlova bites use simple ingredients. The most important part is the pavlova meringue itself.
A meringue recipe for pavlovas is made differently from a regular meringue. The best pavlova recipe is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, which calls for adding cornstarch to the mixture!
- egg whites
- caster sugar
- cream of tartar
- cornstarch
- vanilla extract
- whipping cream
- mascarpone
- fresh fruits (your choice; I use berries, like raspberries and blueberries)
⭐ How to Make Pavlova
- Baking properly is the key: To achieve perfectly white mini pavlovas with no cracks, bake them at a low temperature. The best thing to do is to preheat the oven to a higher temperature first, and then gradually decrease it during the baking until you switch the oven off.
- Don’t take the baking pan out immediately! You need to leave it to cool down inside the oven, with the door half-open. That’s the best way to avoid cracks, as they are caused by temperature changes.
- Add the topping and the decoration right before serving, otherwise, the meringue will get soaked by the moisture and become soggy.
- If you do not have a piping bag, you can make one by cutting the end of a large plastic bag. You do not need a piping tip for this mini pavlova recipe.
How to Serve Mini Pavlovas
Mini pavlovas are perfect bite-size finger desserts for parties. They are best served on a big platter. Or, you can prepare them slightly bigger, and serve one individual pavlova for each person on a small plate.
Pavlova pairs well with chilled white wine or champagne. You could also enjoy a glass of Rose Sangria with fresh berries with these mini pavlovas.
Can I make pavlova ahead of time?
Yes. You can make the meringues 1-2 days ahead of time, although we recommend making them the day-of or no earlier than the day before for best results.
You should not fill the pavlovas until you’re ready to serve them.
Store the filling separately from the meringues, and make sure to keep the meringues in an airtight container in as cool and dry of a place as possible.
🥫 How to Store Mini Pavlovas
You can store the baked meringues for the mini pavlovas outside of the refrigerator at room temperature in an airtight container if you would like to make them ahead of time and have them ready to serve. You can also freeze them.
You will want to wait to fill them until you’re ready to serve – otherwise, they may get mushy!
How long is this recipe good for?
Our mini pavlova recipe will last 1-2 days if stored properly in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. You want to avoid humidity when storing pavlova meringue.
❄ Can you freeze pavlova meringue?
Freezing meringue is risky, as it can catch moisture while thawing. Thankfully, freezing these individual pavlovas is easier than freezing a large portion of pavlova meringue!
- The best way is to freeze them directly on the baking sheet, without removing them from the parchment paper. Wait until the meringues cool completely. Then, wrap them very well in plastic wrap together with the tin.
- Or, layer an airtight container with parchment paper and carefully store the pavlovas in the container.
You can keep this mini pavlova recipe in the freezer for up to a month.
The thawing time depends on how big the meringue is. Bite-sized pavlovas won’t need more than 30 minutes to thaw.
When thawing, place them on a wire rack to circulate as much air as possible so they don’t absorb any moisture.
📖 Easy Desserts to Impress
- Baileys Fudge
- Chocolate Ganache Covered Strawberries
- Carlota de Limon (Charlotte Russe Dessert)
- Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits
- Key Lime Pie Squares
Our Cheerio Cereal Bars are perfect for Valentine’s Day and more, too!
📌 Pin it for later!
Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!Save the Video Pin
📋 Recipe
Mini Pavlova Recipe
🥘 Ingredients
Pavlova Meringue:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- 1,5 tsps. cornstarch
- 2 tsps. vanilla extract
Mascarpone Filling:
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 1 cup whipping cream cold
- 2 tbs powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- fresh berries
- mint leaves (optional)
🔪 Instructions
Pavlova Meringue:
- Preheat oven to 320°F. Line two baking tins with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and the cream of tartar and keep beating at high speed. Add the cornstarch and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form.Pipe the meringue onto the prepared tins. First pipe a small circle and then pipe on top of it, around the edges, in order to form a well.
- Put one baking tin in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 245°F. Bake for 30 minutes, and lower the temperature to about 200°F. Bake until the meringue is dry when touched carefully.Turn off the oven and open the door half way. Leave the meringues inside to cool down. This will prevent the temperature change from being too drastic and causing the meringue to crack.
Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone together with powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.In another large bowl, whip the cream until thick.Using a rubber spatula gradually add the whipped cream to the mascarpone.
- Pipe or spoon the filling into the holes of the mini pavlovas. Top with fresh berries and mint leaves. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Don’t store filled pavlovas for more than few hours. You can keep pavlova meringues for few days in the fridge, in an airtight container. Place them in the container after they are completely cool. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to a month. To do that, the best way is to wrap them with plastic wrap as they are on the baking tin with the parchment paper.
- Baking properly is the key: To achieve perfectly white pavlovas with no cracks, bake them at low temperature. The best is if you preheat the oven to higher temperature and then gradually decrease it during the baking, until switching the oven off. Don’t take the tin out immediately! You need to leave it to cool down inside the oven, with the door half open. That’s the best way to avoid cracks as they are caused by temperature changes.
- Add the topping and the decoration right before serving, otherwise the meringue will get soaked by the moisture, and we want it crispy.
- Alternatively, you can just spoon the meringue on the sheets instead of piping, but that way your mini pavlovas will be slightly bigger.
Nutrition
Photography by Daniela Lambova.
Erica says
Is it 5 teaspoons of cornstarch? I am making these for a Christmas pavlova board.
Em Beitel says
Hi Erica! This recipe calls for 1½ tsps. cornstarch. Thank you for your question!
Daniel says
Less work, easier to make and get right, and better taste than Macarons. Thanks for sharing.
Em Beitel says
Daniel, thank you for your wonderful comment! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Susie says
I’m thinking of adding kool aid to flavor the shells, such as raspberry shells with a lime filling topped with berries.
Donna says
Can the filling be made ahead? The day before?
Em Beitel says
Hi Donna! Absolutely. You can make the mascarpone filling the day before. Just store in an airtight container in the fridge.